I'm a volunteer at a local charter school with an arts lilt. The students are putting together a night's program of five-minute comedy sketches, that are actually way more awesome than you might think.

HERE'S MY AUDIO PROBLEM: one of the best sketch relies on the sound effect of a shotgun cocking -- that "tchk-tchk" sound. We cannot use any sort of speaker or any recorded sounds (rules of contest (eyeroll)). We also, unsurprisingly, can't bring a shotgun into a public high school.

ALL FOLEY ARTISTS/ SF GEEKS: What could make a reasonable facsimile of that shotgun "tchk-tchk" sound? We tried a door latch, but it... well, it sounds like a door latch. The sound needs to have that menacing sound that we all know. But I have no idea how to recreate it within the specs.

Thanks for the tip, dheming. I'm sure that would work phenomenally well. Another sticking point for me, however: we're in New York City. A permit for a shotgun here costs $150+$91 and takes six months to process. So I'm looking for an alternative with no gun parts. A staple gun loading also comes close to making the sound, but is not quite there.

i think: take a metal pipe en wrap it with sandpaper.take an other metal pipe that is a bit wider so it can fit over the other pipe with sandpaper.At the end of the wrapped pipe you place some kind of metal stopper so the wider pipe doesn't slide of.You can do this maybe by drilling some heavy screws at the end of the pipe.Than you quickly slide the outer pipe over the inner pipe with sandpaper creating the shhh sound.then it hits the stopper and you have the click sound of metal hitting metal like the trigger of a gun.do this quickly and you have shhclick......

Thanks all for helping me with this. Sandermotions, I'm headed to the hardware store after work to try your solution.

Zagi2, we've tried just one kid trying to make a naturalistic shotgun cocking sound and it hasn't played, but you bringing it up again has given me a few fresh ideas of how human sounds could work if we get creative about it (like it might be funny if a kid off stage just yelled "Tchk-tchk! shotgun! Watch out!" (probably not funny without context) I'll run it by the kids).

YleArkisto, while we can't use it due to the very stupid rules, your sound is the gold standard. There's just nothing quite as unnerving/pants-wetting as that shotgun racking sound coming at you. Thanks for the reminder on that.

You could make one pipe around 30cm, the outer pipe around 10 cm.once you have put them in eachother (with sandpaper on the inner pipe),you can drill some screws or heavy bolts in both ends to make a double "Tchk" sound by quickly sliding the outer pipe back and forward over the inner pipe against the stoppers. I realy think it could work.good luck!

p.s. please make a recording of the end result and share with us.i would like to hear it!